Preservation

By Kevin Kawamoto The Wakamiya Inari Shrine at Hawaii’s Plantation Village in Waipahu has a new roof – and much more – thanks to contributions from numerous community members, businesses and the Freeman Foundation, in a generous grant administered by the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. The new roof marks a just-in-time triumph for this apple-red Shinto Shrine after its weathered shingles littered the grounds and leaks threatened its interior, housing an altar and religious and cultural objects.  The new roof signals the second time the same group of volunteers rescued the Shrine, the first being when it faced demolition in 1979. Dedicated volunteers, then instigated by religion professor Michael Molloy, assumed the cause to save the Shrine and move it to Waipahu with the aid of then-Gov. George Ariyoshi and then-union leader “Major” Hideo Okada. Relocating to Waipahu cost the Shrine its roof, which had to be removed so the building could pass under bridges while it was moved successfully in the dead of night with police escort. In Waipahu the roof-less Shrine was faithfully restored so that it remains architecturally significant “as the only example of this Shinto sect’s traditional shrine architecture on Oahu,” according to its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. It has been listed there since 1980 (I.D. No. 80001285), as well as on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places. Over the decades, however, the Shrine’s shingled roof deteriorated. The core members who had rescued the building three decades earlier again sprang into action and succeeded in raising funds to give the Shrine a new roof. Thanks to local architect Lorraine Minatoishi, it has also been more closely restored to its original architectural integrity. Minatoishi studied old photographs of the [...]

On December 7, 1941, Hawai‘i was attacked by the Japanese Empire’s naval and air forces. Immediately following those attacks, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. This order authorized the exclusion of persons of Japanese ancestry from the entire Pacific coast. Citizens with as little as one-sixteenth percent of Japanese blood were placed in internment camps. Without judicial process, nearly 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were detained in War Relocation Authority Camps and Department of Justice Internment Camps; about 2000 of those detained were Hawai‘i residents of Japanese ancestry. On January 2, 1945, the exclusion order was revoked entirely and the internees began to leave the camps to rebuild their lives. This photo: Concrete foundations are all that remain of the Honouliuli internment camp.   Top photo: Guard stations were positioned at the top of the valley in order to watch over the internees.  There were five internment camps in Hawai‘i, known as the “Hawaiian Island Detention Camps.” One of those camps was the Honouliuli Internment Camp located in ‘Ewa on O‘ahu. Little was known about the Hawai‘i internees and their experience. Surprised by the lack of information, the Resource Center at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i (JCCH) set out to collect documentation, first-hand accounts and artifacts from the internees. Honouliuli Internment Camp Advisory Group was developed to complement the JCCH’s goal of designating the Honouliuli internment-prisoner of war camp site and associated sites within Hawai‘i as part of the United States National Park Service (NPS). The committee is comprised of members from JCCH, State Historic Preservation Division, University of Hawai‘i West Oahu, Japanese American Citizens League Honolulu Chapter, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation; Monsanto, and members appointed by the Speaker of the House and [...]

By Michelle Cheang, Fung Associates, Inc. The Hawaii State Department of Transportation (HDOT) is making a substantial effort to proactively identify Hawaii’s historic thoroughfares that have been instrumental in our state’s evolution into the modern age. HDOT funded the Statewide Bridge Inventory that involves the initial analysis of approximately 800 potentially historic bridges constructed between 1894 and 1968 on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, and Kauai.  The project intends to identify which of the bridges may be eligible for listing on the Hawaii or National Registers of Historic Places.  HDOT has goals to utilize this inventory to develop a Programmatic Agreement with the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) to aid in future consultations and stream-line the approval process for various construction projects. This photo: Kolekole Stream Bridge, Hawaii Island Above: Ihiihilauakea, Oahu A number of historic bridges were first identified in reports prepared in the 1980s and 1990s.  The 2008 draft inventory and evaluation completed under the supervision of Spencer Leineweber serves as a basis for the current project team to update the eligibility status of all bridges.  Bridges that are being considered include state and county owned bridges, but do not include private and federal owned bridges.  While the project identifies historic bridges, the inventory does not take the place of consultation on specific projects that may impact them in the future. The inventory also does not address archaeological and cultural concerns in the historic identification process, but instead focuses on architecture, engineering and history. HHF Executive Director Kiersten Faulkner serves on the DOT Advisory Committee for the project, along with representatives of the county public works and planning departments, the federal highways administration, [...]

By Keola Lindsey, Office of Hawaiian Affairs A traditional cultural property (TCP) is one example of a property type that can be included in, or determined to be eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).  A TCP’s significance can be associated with the beliefs, customs and practices which define the very foundation of a given community or group.  This important recognition does not mean that the identification of a property as a TCP automatically confirms NRHP eligibility.  All of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines, National Park Service (NPS) guidance  and the requirements of, and criteria described in, the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) implementing regulations,  which are applicable to any property in order to determine NRHP eligibility are also applicable to a TCP. While properties assigned possible traditional, religious and cultural significance have always been included in, or determined to be eligible for inclusion in the NRHP, the NPS published formal guidance on and the following general examples of TCP in 1990: A location associated with the traditional beliefs of a Native American group about its origins, its cultural history, or nature of the world; A rural community whose organization, buildings and structures, or patterns of land use reflect the cultural traditions valued by its long term residents; An urban neighborhood that is the traditional home of a particular cultural group, and reflects its beliefs and practices; A location where Native American religious practitioners have historically gone, and are known or thought to go today, to perform ceremonial activities in accordance with traditional cultural rules of practice; and A location where a community has traditionally carried out economic, artistic or other cultural practices important in maintaining its historical [...]

By Kiersten Faulkner | From Forum Journal | Winter 2012 | Vol. 26, No. 2 The history of Hawaii, the United States, and the entire world was altered on December 7, 1941, when imperial Japan attacked United States forces on Oahu. That day of destruction, when eight battleships and 13 other ships were sunk or damaged, and on which 2,000 sailors and hundreds of members of other military services and civilians lost their lives, led directly to the entrance of the United States into World War II. The facilities most associated with that day—and the war buildup that followed—were located at Pearl Harbor Naval Station. The installation had a distinguished history even before the Day of Infamy, from Native Hawaiian settlements that gave way to a military buildup in the late 19th century, which eventually grew into a critical component of the United States’ national defense. Following the war, the naval base was scaled back to a lower level of occupation, but its service as a critical part of national defense strategy continues to the present day. Pearl Harbor’s significant history and ongoing utility were recognized when it was named a National Historic Landmark in January 1964, less than 23 years after the December 1941 attack. The NHL designation recognized Pearl Harbor’s historic role in the expansion of the United States as a Pacific power, but also as an active military facility that could continue to change and modernize. As the statewide preservation organization dedicated to perpetuating significant historic properties in the Hawaiian Islands, Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF) found itself in regular discussions with the United States Navy about impacts to historic resources on the naval base. The Navy focused on its mission requirements, but [...]

Margaret Foster, Preservation Magazine, contributed to this article. Photos by Chuck Iwertz, Forest City Project Field Manager Since the 1940s, a neighborhood seven miles northwest of Honolulu has been home to generations of military families. In June and July, six historic houses from Red Hill were trucked to Wahiawa about 20 miles away to be rehabilitated and adaptively reused in planned agricultural and dairy project in West O‘ahu. The homes were relocated through an agreement formulated by the U.S. Navy; Forest City Military Communities, the Navy's private housing partner; Historic Hawaii Foundation; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The houses were moved to an 85-acre goat dairy, creamery and artisan cheese-making facility in Wahiawa. They will be used for storage as well as employee housing. Workers from Bello’s Millwork and Kikiaola Construction cut the structures in half and moved them at night. In all, six single family homes and five carport structures were moved, said Rich Montoya, construction project manager at Forest City Military Communities, which donated the houses to the dairy. The donation is part of Forest City's agreement with the Department of the Navy to renovate or replace military housing, as mandated by Congress in 1996. Another two duplex buildings were demolished. The houses are “old but serviceable,” Montoya says, and won't require major renovation. By July 29, all of the buildings had been moved without incident to the 85-acre goat dairy, creamery and artisan cheese-making facility in Wahiawa. They will be used for storage as well as employee housing. The next stage in the project includes completing site preparations and utility work.  The contractor will then position the homes in a permanent configuration that [...]

By Dee Ruzicka, Mason Architects, Inc. Navy Facilities Engineering Command Hawai‘i (NAVFACHI) recently released a study investigating the historic significance and integrity of the form Marine Corp Air Station ‘Ewa Field (‘Ewa Field) for its role in the Japanese attack on O‘ahu on December 7, 1941. “Battlefield Evaluation of Ewa Field and Inventory and Historic Contexts” is a two-part report that analyzes ‘Ewa Field as a historic battlefield site, provides historic background for ‘Ewa Field’s role in the attack, and inventories extant historic features there, including those remaining from the post-attack World War II era.  The report concludes that ‘Ewa Field is the site of a significant battle event associated with the December 7 attack. At the time of the attack, ‘Ewa Field was the base for a Marine Corps Aircraft Group.  The Japanese attack damaged or destroyed over 30 aircraft, and four Marines died at ‘Ewa Field as a result of the attack.  The report further finds that ‘Ewa Field retains sufficient integrity as a battlefield site to make it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, albeit with significant compromises to its historic integrity. Most of the supporting buildings and structures that existed on December 7, 1941 are gone.  As a result, some of the defining features of the station and the battlefield are no longer extant.  The runways themselves are still present, although in many areas damaged by vegetation.  A key extant feature retaining integrity is the 300' x 960' concrete aircraft warm up platform that contains strafing marks and attack damage from 1941.  This pad held parked aircraft that were the primary target for Japanese aircraft. Courtesy of Mason Architects, Inc. and AECOM. The battlefield evaluation drew upon methods initially [...]

Referred to as the “Kane‘ohe Bay White House” during President Dwight Eisenhower’s stay after WWII, the Eisenhower House was constructed as part of the Historic Hilltop Neighborhood on Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i in Kane‘ohe and recently was dedicated as the first net zero energy use building on the base. The home stands as a great example of preservation of both cultural and natural resources.  The house has been renovated to provide for a more contemporary lifestyle while also being energy efficient and maintaining its historic value and significance. Naval Air Station Kane‘ohe Bay began in 1939.  The Hilltop Neighborhood, constructed between 1939 and 1940, was the first officers’ housing.  Today the neighborhood consists of 23 homes, is known as Heleloa, and is managed by Forest City Military Communities (FCMC), the managing member in partnership with the Department of the Navy for the privatization of military family housing in Hawai‘i.  FCMC recently renovated the neighborhood, including retrofitting the Eisenhower House to be a net zero energy home, meaning that it produces at least as much energy as it consumes. The unit that became the Eisenhower House was originally constructed with a slab on grade foundation, concrete masonry unit (CMU) exterior walls, and a hip roof.  It had a kitchen, living room, dining room, three bedrooms, two baths, and a carport.  When the house began to be used as the base commander’s residence, several changes were made, including adding a bedroom and bathroom, enclosing the lanai, enclosing the exterior entrance, and adding a garage.  While the additional space added considerably to the house, the overall design is still consistent with the other homes in the neighborhood and it is a contributing building in the Heleloa historic housing [...]

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has launched a major research project to prepare a context statement about historic resources from post-World War II through the 1960s. The Modern and Recent Past Context Statement will contribute to Hawaii’s understanding of buildings, landscapes, infrastructure and other historic resources from the mid-20th century, including regional expressions of the Modern movement, and will guide efforts to identify and preserve significant historic resources from this era. The research project will provide an academic basis and common foundation for a community dialogue about Hawaii’s recent past, a period characterized by the transformation of Hawai‘i from a rural plantation society to an urban one, the transition from an agricultural economy to one dominated by the visitor industry, and a group of peoples and communities forever changed by the events of wartime, post-war and post-statehood economic and population growth.  Community awareness of these next-generation historic places is critical to ensure that a vital part of Hawaii’s architectural and cultural heritage is identified, preserved, and remains relevant for current and future generations. A historic context statement is a document used in planning for a community’s historic resources and their preservation and integration into the future physical and cultural fabric.  It identifies the broad patterns of historic development of the community and identifies historic property types, such as buildings, sites, structures, objects or districts, which may represent these patterns of development.  The purpose of the context statement is to assist in the identification, evaluation and preservation of significant historic properties from 1947-1967 and to identify key historical themes within which individual properties may be understood. The project team will be led by Fung Associates, Inc., under the direction of Louis Fung and Tonia Moy, with key research [...]

By Tonia Moy, with additional research by Don Hibbard All photos courtesy of Fung Associates For many growing up in rural Hawai‘i, the “Quonset Hut” or the “kamaboko house” brings back memories of peering over walls not conforming to the arched ceiling, running through the house from end to end or crouching to use the toilet nestled in the corner of the curved wall.  The name “Quonset hut” derives from the place of initial production, Quonset, Rhode Island, a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay that retained its Native American place name aptly meaning “small long place.” The Quonset hut was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to be quickly erected almost anywhere in the world.  Approximately 155,000 of various size and modifications were constructed before and during the massive World War II build up of facilities.  The efficiency and versatility of the Quonset Hut was unparalleled, having the smallest shipping cube per man housed than any other temporary hut, including canvas tents with wood frames and floors.   It was promoted as shelter that could be constructed in a day by ten men with no special construction skills. Following the war, Honolulu faced a significant housing shortage, as did the United States as a whole and the Navy had an excess of Quonset Huts.  Several building supply companies such as Dan’s Lumber Yard, Kilgo’s Hardware, Tajiri Building Supplies and Frank Fasi’s Supply Company would obtain the government contract to salvage the huts and then sell for parts or in whole.  The most famous of the building supply company owners was Frank Fasi, who started his contracting firm in 1946 after moving here to work for the Army Corps of Engineers and ran his salvage [...]